New generation of orthopedic, dental and cardiovascular ...( This press release is available in ...)

This press release is available in French.

Montreal, January 27, 2008 The futuristic technology of the Six Million Dollar Man specifically a part metal and part flesh human being won't be exclusive to Hollywood anymore. While the main character in the Six Million Dollar Man was outfitted with metals to enhance his performance, a multidisciplinary team of scientists led by the Universit de Montral has discovered a process to produce new metal surfaces that promise to lead to superior medical implants that will improve healing and allow the human body to better accept metal prostheses.

According to new research published in Nano Letters, the scientists capitalized on recent advances in nanotechnology to change how metals can influence cell growth and development in the body. A critical aspect of the finding is that the surfaces can directly stimulate cells thereby eliminating the need for pharmaceuticals and resulting side-effects. The study is a collaboration between the Universit de Montral, McGill University, the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-EMT), Plasmionique Inc and the Universidade de So Paulo.

"Using chemical modification, we have produced metals with intelligent surfaces that positively interact with cells and help control the biological healing response," says Antonio Nanci, the study's senior author and a professor at the Universit de Montral's Faculty of Dentistry. "These will be the building-blocks of new and improved metal implants that are expected to significantly affect the success of orthopedic, dental and cardiovascular prostheses."

Etching produces nanoporous surfaces

Dr. Nanci and colleagues applied chemical compounds to modify the surface of the common biomedical metals such as titanium. Exposing these metals to selected etching mixtures of acids and oxidants results in sur
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